


Shameless

by bugtruth



Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: Age Difference, Christian Character, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Pining, Porn with Feelings, Post-The Outer Worlds Quest: The Empty Man, Praise Kink, Sexual Inexperience, Smut, Soft man, Teasing, i love pre and post max but post is definitely my favorite to write, it doesn't go into detail tbh, slight plot??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:21:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26330053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bugtruth/pseuds/bugtruth
Summary: After Max and Aspen partake in the hermit's "meditative aid", the Captain passes out in a pile of blankets and pillows in the corner. When Aspen wakes up, pressed against his ship's Vicar and pining something fierce, will he give into his reservations and be a good Christian boy? Or will his touchstarvation and feelings for Max win out? Find out today in this fic, alternatively titled "Aspen's gay panic!"
Relationships: Male Captain/Maximillian DeSoto, The Captain/Maximillian DeSoto
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49





	Shameless

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm a professional dumbass, I forgot to put a description in when I first posted this!

Aspen mumbled sleepily, snuggling closer to the warmth laying beside him to stave off the cold nipping at his back. Shivering, he pressed as close as possible into the inviting heat, in that strange space between wake and sleep. Starting to fuzzily sink into rest again, Aspen sighed, wanting nothing more than to just drop back into his dreams. The sensation of a hand running over his shoulder roused him though, familiar and heavy as it came to rest on his upper arm, his eyes lazily floating open to examine his surroundings. When he realized the warmth he was pressed against was  _ Max,  _ he flushed red and remembered they were still in the Hermit's back room, Max's hand gently holding Aspen to his chest. Swallowing, Aspen tried to steady his breathing, but found he couldn't as Max's face buried itself in his hair. Last night, he and Max had gone on a trip together using incense provided by the Hermit, and Max had had some kind of insight about himself and the Universe. Afterwards, Aspen had passed out in the corner on top of a blanket on the floor, and he guessed Max had taken up residence beside him. Though how Aspen had wound up with his arms wrapped around Max's chest and a leg slung over his, his nose nuzzled sleepily into Max's neck, he didn't know.

The longer he spent like that, awake and pressed against his Vicar, the more a flame began to build in his abdomen. Nervously, he hid his face in Max's vestments, trying to tamp down the arousal that came from their close proximity. However, it was almost useless as he sank into the heat radiating from Max in the chilly room, as Aspen could hear his heartbeat against his cheek.  _ Feel _ his chest rising and falling with his steady breathing, a protective arm curling around Aspen and holding him in place, tucked against Max like he belonged there. Soft breathing disturbing his hair as Aspen laid against him. It all culminated to Aspen growing hard against Max's thigh, and a little guiltily, he hoped that Max wouldn't wake up for a bit so he could enjoy laying in his arms.

There was no doubt Aspen was attracted to Max, but… he wasn't sure if Max felt the same way. Maybe he saw him the same way he saw Felix; a headstrong young man with an attitude, someone who needed an adult around to help him navigate Halcyon. That made a spike of indignation rise in his chest, and he huffed a bit. Maybe Max would never see him as more than his Captain, a friend, a  _ kid. _ The thought frustrated him to no end, so he clenched his eyes shut and buried his face in Max's chest. He smelled of the incense, a thick and cloying medicinal scent that hung over his normal clean, soapy smell tinged with aftershave. It made him press closer and breathe in deeper, so familiar and so  _ Max  _ it made his heart ache. Max hummed faintly beneath him, tinged with sleep, making Aspen freeze and pray he didn't wake up to his erection resting against his thigh. He didn't seem to wake, just pulled Aspen closer and mumbled incoherently, breathing evening out once more. Letting out a relieved sigh, Aspen quickly sucked it back in as Max shifted, his thigh rising to grind against Aspen's already hard cock. Oh,  _ no. _

Swallowing around the lump growing in his throat, Aspen felt a surge of arousal at the pressure of Max's leg against him. This couldn't be happening. Sure, Max was hot as hell, but he was his  _ Vicar.  _ Not to mention he's so much older, people would definitely frown on it, maybe even Max himself. But Aspen let himself melt into the sensation anyway, breath catching in his chest as his mind wandered to the sensations climbing up his back. A shiver tumbled down his spine at the friction, even if it was muffled through their clothes, and Aspen found himself wanting more. Biting his lip, Aspen carefully began to rock his hard dick against Max's leg before he could talk himself out of it, just barely moving his hips. Clamping a hand to his mouth, Aspen tried to hold back the soft noises that wanted to escape from his chest, Max's thigh solid against his cock. As far as he knew, the hermit was still out in the living area.

For a while now, Aspen had been thinking about Max in a… less than appropriate manner, for a Vicar. He wasn't exactly sure  _ when  _ it had started, he just knew that at some point, he had started wondering about things like how Max would kiss him. Would he be soft and teasing? Or fierce and overpowering, taking control of things as he had tried so hard to do in his life? Then it had of course devolved into late night-cycle fantasies about Max cornering him in some quiet and hidden part of the ship, hands and lips everywhere as he pressed Aspen against the wall, whispering downright filthy things in his ear. Max already cursed like a Spacer with a smug aura that infuriated Aspen; it stands to reason he would try to fluster him to no end.

Aspen didn't want to think about the hot rush of blood that had traveled straight south as he watched him threaten Chaney, a bit embarrassed about his attraction to Max's…  _ rougher _ side. He guessed it was because he knew Max could flip him like a patty if he wanted to, but he wouldn't. Maybe if Aspen asked  _ very nicely,  _ but other than that the only time he had ever been the least amount of rough with him was when he taught him how to play Tossball; which had been part of Aspen's little… revelation in and of itself, having to fight off a boner as Max had tackled him to the ground, the Tossball completely forgotten by Aspen as Max reached over him to grab it with his Tossball stick. For a while, Aspen had laid on the ground stunned, cheeks red as he remembered the crushing pressure of Max over the top of him. And… it kind of turned him on to think about Max's low voice snarling just what he wanted to do with him as it happened, taunting him as he fucked him hard and merciless, all rough squeezes and bites.

Aspen _wanted_ Max, wanted him desperately to notice him, to teach him what he'd been too focused on other things to learn. For some reason, Max made his heart want to jump out of his chest and run screaming for the hills, entirely too much of a hopeless gay bastard to take this. And that reflected in the way just the _thought_ of him made Aspen's mind start wandering to beneath his modest clothing. He wanted Max to fuck him, and he didn't care how, or when, or on what. All he knew was that he got hard just _thinking_ about what lay under Max's vestments, the muscles he could feel pull taut when Max hauled him up from whatever danger they were in like a ragdoll, his cock that Aspen sometimes _just_ managed to catch the outline of in his pants--

"M… Mmn…" Aspen was almost painfully hard now, rutting himself against Max's thigh making him let out an audible whimper, despite having his hand firmly over his mouth. Hips pausing, he felt flush overtake his cheeks, waiting for Max to wake up and ask just what in Law's name he was  _ doing. _ But it didn't come, and Aspen let himself relax a fraction. Maybe he hadn't woken up, maybe he was still asleep and Aspen could get away from this mortifying situation… but he had to check. Looking up into Max's face, Aspen felt a surge of embarrassment rattle through him as he saw his eyes were open, trained on Aspen and probably had been for a bit. There was no sign of bleariness indicating he had just woken up, and a sparkle of amusement twinkled in his gaze, underscored by what Aspen suspected was the dark rush of excitement.

"Don't stop now, I was quite enjoying the show." He purred, his hand dipping to stroke Aspen's side invitingly.

"M-Max!" Aspen exclaimed, pushing himself up on his palms to look down into his face. "How-how long have you been awake?" Swallowing, he saw a sly smile creep onto Max's face, but Aspen was too horrified to think he had been awake for him shamelessly grinding on his thigh to admire it.

"Since you first started squirming around." He replied nonchalantly, watching the way Aspen flushed deeper. Indeed, he had been awake since he felt Aspen snuggle closer, had felt his hard-on warm against his thigh. The rising of his knee had been deliberate, wanting to pull a reaction from Aspen, and Max had delighted in how hot it got him as he started to ride his thigh.

The younger man shifted, straddling his leg as he tried to pull away. "S-Sorry, I didn't know you were awake, I thought… I thought you were asleep. I'll just, uh, go--"

Max hummed in amusement at his fluster, pulling the Captain down to sprawl against his chest, their noses just barely brushing against each other. "No need to apologize, Captain. Waking up to a pretty face grinding against your thigh isn't the worst way to start your morning."

Aspen flushed so red he thought his head would pop, and at once all the blood in his body flowed South.  _ Pretty face…  _ Max had called him pretty. In his wildest dreams he had never thought Max would reciprocate, and in a way it froze him on the spot, simply staring into Max's familiar features. Was he serious? This wasn't just some elaborate prank he had devised to mock him? Max…  _ wanted  _ him… Against every Christian inclination he'd ever been raised with, Aspen settled against Max, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the lips of his Vicar.

Warm fingers gently cupped his neck, holding him close as Max's other hand found the small of his back, running up his spine as they melded into each other. After seventy some odd years of nothing, his lips were probably fumbling and rusty, but Max didn't seem to mind as he kissed him back just as passionately. Aspen abruptly broke the kiss as Max's knee rose to tease his erection, letting out a soft gasp as Max bit down on his lower lip, leaving a peck against the scar bisecting them. A groan rose from Aspen's chest, his hips giving little aborted thrusts against Max's leg as he rubbed it against his cock. "Captain…" Max breathed against his cheek, trailing pecks down his scar to his chin. "If you needed a hand, you could have just asked." Teasing lilt to his voice, Max's hand at his neck fell to sneak between their bodies and cup the tent growing between them, Aspen's hands gripping fiercely into his vestments. The under armor he wore was basically a thinner wetsuit to prevent his armor from chafing his bare skin that zipped in the back, but Aspen could feel his hand like he was buck-naked.

"I… I didn't think you saw me that way..." Aspen murmured, trailing off into a quiet whine as Max gently pressed his palm against his erection.

Snorting, Max began to press hot, open-mouthed kisses just under his chin. If he kept it up, he might be able to make a mark just above his collar, and decided in a millisecond he would at the desperate keen Aspen muffled with his hand. Everyone would see it, and know he had made it as they were the only two on this mission, but that hardly mattered to Max anymore. A curious urge to make the mark dark and glaring so the crew would know  _ exactly  _ who had left a hickey against their Captain's throat overcame him, and for once in his life he decided to just give in. "It's… hard not to." Pulling back, Max began a soft massage of his cock, pressing a kiss to Aspen's cheek when he angled his hips into his hand. "A beautiful young man who hangs onto my every word like it's the most interesting thing in the world… how could I  _ not  _ be attracted to that, to  _ you?"  _ Biting down on that sweet little spot under his chin again made Aspen jerk, trying to let out even breaths as he curled into Max, meeting his hand with his hips at every movement. Sucking hard, Max delighted in the way Aspen's hand came up to press him closer into his neck, fingers carding through his hair. "I was trying to keep myself in check, in control of my attraction to you all this time. I wasn't sure you would find  _ me  _ attractive; I'm quite a few years older than you, physically, anyway."

A whine tried to bubble up, but Aspen bit it back by chewing on his lip, melting into the sensation of Max's lips on his neck. "Max, I don't care about that, I… I've been wanting you f-for a while now…"

Chuckling against his skin, Max pulled away briefly to look into his magenta eyes, taking in his red cheeks and the way his hand on his chest wound tighter into his vestments. "How about we just take care of this for now?" Thumb brushing against where he could feel his head in slow circles, Max loved the way his hips jerked forward as his Adam's apple bobbed with a thick swallow. "May I pull down your under-armor?" He murmured, feeling Aspen's fingers grip just a bit harder into his hair than they were before.

Nodding, Aspen leaned forward so Max could reach the zipper, the latter slowly pulling it down his back so it didn't catch. When it reached the end of the track, Max peeled it from his skin just past his hips, letting him see that the front of his briefs had a small wet spot. Smirking when he saw it, Max leaned forward and kissed Aspen again, Aspen sighing as his more experienced tongue made its way into his mouth. His Captain had muscles, but was more lean than anything, and Max found his hands wandering across his chest and sides the longer they kissed. As if committing every dip and curve of his body to memory. Max was slow and teasing in the way he kissed Aspen, a lazy smile growing larger as Aspen furiously pressed closer into him, as if he was desperate for Max to hurry. They kissed until they were both slightly dizzy, only pulling away when Aspen impatiently nudged Max with his hard-on, making him chuckle.

"Eager, are we, Captain?" Max panted, trailing his lips down to where he had bit him earlier, beginning to suck again at the tender skin. A slight mark had started when he began giving that spot attention, and now he knew it would darken to a satisfying bruise. His hand gently brushed down Aspen's toned stomach, calloused fingers slipping under the band of his underwear, thumb teasingly stroking his hip. "How cute…"

"Maaaax…" Aspen complained quietly, indignantly tugging on the front of his cassock, poking out his lower lip in a pout.

"Patience, my Captain." But despite his words muffled against Aspen's neck, his hand gently found the base of his cock, giving it an experimental stroke to the head. Aspen shuddered, pressing closer as Max ran his thumb over his tip, delighting in the way the Captain leaned into his every touch. Another bite to his neck pulled a broken curse from Aspen's chest, Max's hand giving him another soft tug. "All good things come to those who wait." Sucking hard on his soft skin, Max set up a measured, even rhythm to the pumping of his hand.

Magenta eyes fluttering shut, Aspen twitched as Max gave him his much-needed attention, tilting his head in an invitation. A soft gasp fell from his lips when Max twisted his wrist and slowed his stroke on the uptake, biting down hard on his bottom lip to stifle the moan that bubbled up. "F… Fuck, Max…" Trailing off into another sharp intake of breath, he felt his body heating up from every even motion of Max's more experienced hand, coaxing him to orgasm. The nerve pain that he had come out of hibernation with had mostly subsided, and instead was replaced with a prickling sensitivity that was only increased from his initial attraction to Max, filling him with a crackling like Aetherwave static every time he was touched. It made the hair on his arms stand up, his breath hitching as Max's lips worked against his neck, the sensation not exactly unpleasant, but foreign. Diving into the pooling pleasure that was starting to build to it's breaking point, Aspen gasped as Max's thumb ran along the underside of his cock. "I'm… Max, 'm close…"

"So soon?" Max teased, making Aspen huff around the knot in his belly. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Go ahead, Captain, be a  _ good boy _ and come for me."

Despite his earlier annoyance at labelling himself a kid, the way Max said the phrase snapped that dam inside him, making him almost choke around a warm rushing sensation running through his veins. It wasn't derogatory in the least, the way he said it sounding like genuine praise as he whispered it into his ear, and Aspen felt a wave of pleasure surge over the top of him. Gasping, Aspen let out a long and drawn out groan, spurting his release over Max's hand and inside his underwear. Max was gentle as he continued to jerk him through his orgasm, the fiercest he'd had since coming off the ice. Maybe it was because nobody else had touched him in over seventy years, or maybe it was the way Max slowly stroked him until he was dry, whispering soft nothings in his ear; but regardless, Aspen felt his eyes growing misty. It was almost overwhelming, feeling all those sensations at once, but in a fucking fantastic way. Max was  _ amazing  _ with his hands.

Gasping quietly, Aspen swallowed around the small waves that still lapped at him, before he let out a sigh. The tidal wave that had pulled him over the edge was receding, Aspen's nerves twitching just a bit as he came down from the high of orgasm, sagging breathlessly against Max as his body remembered it was technically midnight in their ship's simulated night and day cycles. Max released his spent cock, still tucked into his underwear, before pressing a kiss to his temple. Wiping his hand off on the now soiled fabric, Max pulled his relatively clean hand out of Aspen's briefs, wrapping it around his lax body. Mumbling something Max couldn't make out, Aspen shivered and pulled closer, face finding the crook of Max's neck. "How was it?" Quietly, Max murmured against Aspen's mussed hair, pressing another kiss to the crown of his head.

Aspen hummed, letting his eyes flutter shut as Max ran a hand up his back, untangling his fingers from Max's greying hair. "Amazing." Wrapping his arms around Max, he sighed again as his body began to relax after the sudden shock of orgasm to his system, a heady and satisfied feeling making his limbs heavy. "I always imagined you'd be rougher…" He mumbled sleepily, Max letting out a soft chuckle.

"You…  _ imagined,  _ me, Captain?" Teasing the younger man, Max laughed as Aspen half-heartedly swatted his shoulder, flushing red.

"... More than a few times." He admitted, making Max hum and pull him closer. Shifting to look into Max's face, Aspen smiled gently at him. "You seem… happier, somehow." Murmuring so low Max could barely hear it, his smaller, scarred hand rose to cup Max's cheek. Thumb running over the creases in his face, Aspen searched his features, and found a warm sense of contentment in his eyes.

"After you passed out, I sat beside you and thought for a long time, and I guess I came to a sort of… breakthrough, about everything." Max's bigger hand shadowed Aspen's and gently led it around to his lips to kiss it, trailing pecks down to his fingertips, leaving a soft smooch on each one.

"Really?" Aspen asked sleepily, signature lopsided smile returning as he blushed, watching Max drag his lips to kiss his wrist. "What is it?"

Grinning, Max caught his eyes and chastely captured his lips, leaning their foreheads against each other. "That… I was trying too hard to control life; the Universe around me and my place inside it. And that OSI, the Architect, the Plan, it was all wrong. The Universe isn't predictable, it's… it's chaos, in it's very definition of the word. You can't bend it to your will, and the sorrow in our lives is caused by obsessing about being somewhere you're not. Happiness is found inside yourself, in the moment, and struggling to control the future, the Universe, to describe it by a Plan or Equation… it all seems so silly to me, now. The higher power I sought wasn't one of the Architect, but of the Universe itself. We are in ourselves the Universe trying to understand itself, and vice versa."

Silent for a good few moments, Aspen digested what he was saying, picking over every word that Max had said and trying to understand it through his after-sex-fogged thoughts. And suddenly, it came to him, from something he had heard long ago on the outdated Television set from his childhood. "Matter can never be created nor destroyed; we are made from the atoms of dead stars and cosmic gases, recycled over and over again. When we gaze towards the stars and wonder, it is an attempt for the Universe to understand itself." Despite his personal hatred of the Sciences in school, Space and Astronomy had been fascinating to him, and he often watched easily digestible shows so he could understand it better. It's one of the things that had settled him leaving for Halcyon.

Eyebrows raising, Max grinned at him, surprised at the academic answer. "The Law of Conservation of Mass. How did you know that?" Asking him genuinely, Max brushed his knuckles against his cheek.

"I used to watch a lot of shows about space as a kid. It was the only way I could feel somewhat smart; by regurgitating space facts that no one else in school knew." Laughing gently, Aspen pressed a soft kiss to his nose, starting to fall asleep again.

"Every new thing I learn about you makes me even more thankful I met such a wonderful man." Max murmured with a soft smile.

"Mm, me too, Max." Aspen yawned, his eyes falling shut before snuggling into Max's neck and letting out a half-asleep mumble. "... Love you…" He breathed, falling asleep as soon as the phrase came out of his mouth, probably unaware he had even said it.

It was Max's turn to feel his own cheeks flush, but he soothingly rubbed Aspen's back in slow, sweeping arcs. Love… did Max love his Captain? The man who had stared blankly at him with a vacant smile the first time they talked, eyes unfocused and almost crossed in an effort to follow him as Max prattled on about OSI theology and Bakonu's journal. Who then promptly went on to  _ think  _ he was being sneaky as he slipped the OSI anointment vial in his pocket, right across the room from Max's open doors, and Max could do nothing but watch in disbelief as he walked out the mission with it. His Captain, who took in every stray he came across, like how he stole every trinket that caught his fancy, as if unable to resist things that made him feel an odd sense of pride. Who fought for those who couldn't, against all the odds stacked against him, and triumphed through the connections he cultivated from his kindnesses to others. Love was scarce in Halcyon, and Max almost brushed it off as a slip of the tongue, but he knew even in his sleep-laced mind his Captain wasn't that type of person. If he said it, he had meant it. Love… the notion his Captain might possibly be in love with him made his mind swim, and he took a grounding breath and asked himself again; Did he, Maximillian DeSoto, love his Captain, Aspen Adams?

The clench in his chest at the thought made him think  _ yes,  _ he did. He loved Aspen and would follow him wherever this road took him. Max would always have his Captain's back, no matter where it took  _ them. _ It was comforting to think that, even though everything in this Universe was chaos, he and Aspen had been pulled into each other's orbit. Where this would lead, he wasn't sure. He was even unsure if the Captain would want to be in a true relationship with him, and there were so many events happening at once, Max was certain that something like love might be costly. He or Max himself could die in what Aspen was caught up in with Phineas, leaving the other to mourn whatever fate they had succumbed to.

Whether the Captain knew what he murmured on the edge of sleep or not, Max would step back and let his Captain come to him. Let him name what they had on his own time. For now, Max would be there for him, through whatever it was they had. Love was patient. And Max could wait until this was all over, for he had no doubt that whatever plan Phineas and his Captain cooked up, it would be one that worked. Aspen would change  _ everything,  _ and Max would be there for it all.

* * *

By the time they managed to pull themselves from the pillows and make themselves presentable enough to go out, Max had managed to suck another two hickies; one that wouldn't show under Aspen's under-armor, at the junction of his shoulder and neck, and another that  _ definitely  _ would, on the opposite side of the first purple-ish bruise Max had given him. Max felt a little guilty for the way Aspen ran his finger over it when he was dressed, wondering if he had gone a bit too far, until Aspen let out a giggle. "Geez, old man, I haven't had so many hickies since high school. Or, like, ever." Tilting his neck up, his long hair flipped against his usual part and stood every which way, showing Max the marks. "Do you think anyone will notice 'em?" 

Chuckling, Max had pecked him on the lips with his answer. "Most definitely, they're hard to miss. Does it bother you?"

"Nah. You just really went to town, preacher-man." Wrapping his arms around Max's neck, he had laughed that stupid little snorty giggle Max knew all too well by now.

"You seemed to like it, so I thought I'd…  _ indulge  _ you a little." Thinking back to the way Aspen had tilted his neck to him, tentatively guiding Max to nuzzle into the space just under his chin again after waking up, before sleepily mumbling  _ 'more'  _ brought a surge of pride to his chest. Though, in reality, Max had kissed marks into him so fiercely to distract himself from other thoughts; like about how Aspen's legs would fit  _ so  _ perfectly around his hips. Before he had known it, the Hermit had been knocking furiously at the door declaring she had better things to do than let them fuck in her back room all day, making Aspen flush and call back his apologies. And so, Max had unlatched himself from his Captain to find two new dark bruises kissed into his pale neck, glaringly obvious from the surrounding skin.

"I didn't want to stop." Aspen purred, giving him one last kiss before pulling on his helmet. "But I need a shower, and maybe something to eat. We can find time later."

"Find time for what?" Max intoned, curling a hand around his hips, though he already guessed his answer.

Voice slightly garbled through the helmet, Max could almost see the lopsided grin on his face as he pressed into his side, slinging his gun-strap over his other shoulder. "Further exploration."

* * *

The airlock on the Unreliable gave a hiss as the doors slid open, Aspen tossing his pack next to the lockers as he began pulling off his armor. Max passed by, no doubt heading to the shower. But before he did, he patted Aspen's hip on the way by, a small yet intimate gesture that he had become accustomed to by this point. About that moment, Felix bounded down the floors, face beaming. Max gave Aspen a sly wink as he passed behind Felix, heading upstairs.

"See anything cool on your way back, Boss?" Felix asked, eyes sparkling with excitement.

Aspen chuckled and pulled off his helmet, making the excitable young man stop in his tracks with a worried frown. "Nothing too interesting. Outlaws showed up while we were gone, I shot them, they died." Running a hand through his hair, he stretched and popped his neck. "Max and I inhaled the drugs, hallucinated, and I passed out on the floor. He seems to be alright, and he got what he came for. All in all, a success."

"Got beat up a bit, Boss?" Felix's eyes betrayed his concern, leaning closer to inspect the bruises on his neck. "Bet those Outlaws managed to get the jump on ya, what with them managing to get ahold of your neck like that."

A short bark of a laugh came from the upper landing, Ellie leaning against the railing as she smoked a cigarette. "Geez, Felix, you act like you've never given someone a hickey before." Her eyes betrayed just how much she had already guessed, and Aspen decided it was futile to deny it any longer.

Cheeks dusting pink, Felix looked back at Aspen with a horrified expression, eyebrows knitting together. "Boss… but… only you and  _ Max…" _ Realization dawned on him at that moment, his mouth falling open in genuine shock.

Ellie cackled as Aspen shrugged, his own cheeks the color of Spectrum Vodka. "Now you're getting it, kid." Poking the stub of her cigarette their way, a crooked grin split her features. "And, apparently, so is our  _ beloved  _ Captain."

_ "Boss, but he's  _ **_Max!"_ ** Felix exclaimed, making Aspen blow a raspberry in his direction and pat his shoulder.

"Yeah, but… he's mine." Grinning as Felix balked and groaned, covering his ears, Aspen made his way to his room and closed the door to change.

"I've never had parents, but dear Law, this is like finding your parents putting their clothes back on…" Poking his lower lip out, he tromped up the landing to stand beside Ellie and take the cigarette she offered him. "And now I owe you and Nyoka both 100 bits…"

"Look on the brightside, Junior, now Max gets to break out his dad jokes." She teased, punching his shoulder.

"That's what I'm afraid of." He grumbled, taking a long drag and shaking his head.


End file.
